The Days of Lore

Black Friday: Black Tambourine?!

Friday, January 29th, 2010 | musiX | No Comments

Black Tambourine is about the furthest thing from metal you can get. But they get the nod for Black Friday today … because I don’t feel like writing about the latest Haemorrhage record.

Slumberland Records has been churning out precious indie pop records for two decades now. What can I say? I’ve become quite smitten over the past few years. Long before The Pains of Being Pure at Hearts and the Crystal Stilts there was Black Tambourine. The D.C. four-piece formed in 1989, releasing a couple of 7-inches for Slumberland (the first for the label in the early-’90s) and playing only a handful of shows … basically around long enough to secure cult-status.

I didn’t listen to the band way back when … too busy taking in the new Helmet and Soundgarden records. But the words Black Tambourine can be found on many modern-day indie bands’ lists of influences. Deservedly so. The band found that irresistible balance between too-precious twee and noise-filled post-punk. It’s a template that’s been aped a million times since.

Slumberland is gearing up to release a new compilation simply titled Black Tambourine on March 30. Unlike 1999’s Complete Recordings package, the new record will include six unreleased track as well as four newly-recorded songs including covers of Buddy Holly’s “Heartbeat” and Suicide’s “Dream Baby Dream.”

I’m going to go out on a limb and say there will be a handful of reunion shows that coincide with the release. I could be wrong, but I’m feeling very Nostradamus today.

“For Ex-Lovers Only” - Black Tambourine

Tags: Black Tambourine, Crystal Stilts, Slumberland Records, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

TDoL gets Pantsed … holla!

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 | musiX | No Comments

I like the word “pants.” I’m not sure why; it just sounds funny … especially when used as a verb.

Follow it with the word “yell” with an exclamation point and you have an entirely different thing going on. Pants Yell! have been around for a few years now, assembling jangly pop songs from their home-base in Cambridge, Mass. It’s the sort of (borderline) cutesy, melancholic indie rock you’d expect to hear on—wait for it—Slumberland Records … which, of course, also puts out albums by artists like Black Tambourine, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and the Crystal Stilts. Me likes.

Pants Yell! will release Received Pronunciation (its first for Slumberland) on Nov. 10, an album that delivers more pop-meets-noise tunes taken to playful levels by Andrew Churchman’s hushed vocals and quirky wordplay … what would you expect? The band’s name is Pants Yell! fer gawd’s sake.

“Cold Hands” - Pants Yell!

Tags: Andrew Churchman, Black Tambourine, Crystal Stilts, Pants Yell!, Received Pronunciation, Slumberland Records, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart